Ring holder construction



Dec. 141-, 1943. 1 C. DAWSON, JR 2,336,719

RING HOLDER CONSTRUCTION Filed Feb. 18, 1943 @ma SM I Patented Dec. 14, 1943 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE RING HOLDER CONSTRUCTION James C. Dawson, Jr., Kirkwood, Mo.

Application February 18, 1943, Serial No. 476,272

4 Claims. (Cl. 12B-24) The present invention relates generally to a ring holder or ring metal for loose leaf books, and more particularly to such a holder construction, in the main of wood or like material.

One of the objects of the invention is to provide a ring metal construction of positive action.

An additional object is to provide a ring metal construction making the greatest possible use of readily available materials. Specically, an object is to provide a mechanism requiring metal only for springs, certain holding parts, and the rings themselves.

A particular object of the invention is to provide a so-called ring metal comprising two overcenter ring holding elements, a novel means for controlling the scope of movement of the rings into open and closed positions, and for securing the binder and metal together.

Fig. 1 is a top elevation of a section of a loose leaf binder including a ring holder incorporating the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a vertical section on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is the same as Fig. 2, but with rings in the open position;

Fig. 4 is a vertical section of the ring holder elements of the device in the ring-closed position; and,

Fig. 5 is the same as Fig. 4, but in the ring-open position.

The invention comprises in general a loose-leaf binder back of binders board, fiber, or like material, two ring holder pieces, hinging upon `each other, rivets limiting the arcuate movement of their contiguous parts and securing the parts together, and metal spring bands compressing the ring holder pieces together and cooperating with the hinge action of the joint of the two members to form an overcenter snap-action construction.

Referring more particularly to the drawing, in Fig, 3, the cover construction of the book may be of ber, wood, or other suitable material, and comprises the cover elements 'I and 8, a back edge member 9, and a covering Ill of imitation leather or the like joining the three and providing suitable hinges therebetween, as known in the art.

The ring-metal unit, so-called, includes two elongated strips I5 and i5, the strip i6 having a tongue Il engaging in a groove I8 in the member I5 to provide a connection between them for limited pivotal action. Details of this will be described hereinafter. At spaced points in their lengths, these strips are held together by strip spring elements I9, tending to compress the two together against tongue and slot. The pivot line of the tongue and slot is located so as to shift from one side to the other of the line of compressive force of the spring I9, thereby providing an overcenter action. The springs I9 are bent over the outer edges of the members I 5 and I5 to hold them together.

The tongue I'I extends beyond an inner surface 20 of the strip I6. The lower part of this surface is cut away at 22. The groove I8 has an angular extent greater than that of the tongue I'l, to permit limited pivotal movement of the tongue in the groove. The cutting away of the surface 22 facilitates this pivotal movement. The groove I8 is cut back from a surface 23.

Half-ring pieces 25 are mounted in members I5 and I5. Their ends are adapted preferably to meet prior to the engagement of the surfaces 20 and 23, so as to give some leeway for misalignment of the ring pieces.

In order to secure the ring strips I5 and. I 6 to the springs I9, tubular collars 28 are passed through the holes in the springs I9. Each collar 28 has a neck portion passing through the spring I9, and each is peened over on the underside thereof so as to be securely fastened thereto. Each collar is likewise provided with a ange 29 at its upper end.

The two strips I5 and IB are provided with complementary cut-outs 30 and 3| enlarged to receive the anges 29, and meet the smaller portions in shoulders 32 and 33. By this, the springs I9, strips I5 and I3, rings 25, and collars 28 are held together.

Rivets 35 are passed through suitable openings in the binder back 9, and through the collars 28. The collars provide a base upon which the rivets may be hammered. By these rivets the ring unit is attached to the binder back. Also the rivets add the strength of the binder back 9 to the spring I9 to prevent excess warpage of the springs I9 when the rings are opened.

Operation As noted, the line of compressive force of the springs I9 is above the pivot edge of the members I5 and I 6 when in their closed position. When the rings are opened, the members I5 and I6 rock on their pivot edge until that edge passes above the said line of force. This provides the familiar snap-action.

When the members I5 and I6 rock open to a Position in which the shoulders 32 and 33 meet the anges 29 oi the collars 28, the opening movement is stopped. Further opening movement would require distortion of the springs I9, which is resisted by the reinforcement afforded by the binder back 9, transmitted through the rivets 35.

Closing of the rings likewise occurs with a snapaction. Preferably, the rings close before the surfaces 20 and 23 can engage, which gives allowance for variations in alignment of the rings and insures their tight closure.

What is claimed is:

1. In a mechanism of the kind described, a pair of complementary ring holding members, means providing pivotal action between said members about a line, a leaf spring applying a clamping compressive force to said members to hold them together along said line, said members being adapted to pivot and displace said line toward and away from the spring, and from one side to the other of the line of application of the compressive force, a collar secured to the spring, a recess in at least one of said ring holding members to receive the collar, a flange on the collar spaced from the spring and engageable with the member to limit pivotal movement thereof away from the leaf spring, a binder back, and a rivet extending through the binder back and the collar to secure the binder, collar, spring, and ring members together, said rivet having securing means to hold it to the binder back, and being headed against the flange of the collar.

2. In a mechanism of the kind described, a pair of elongated, complementary ring holding members, said members having facing surfaces, a groove in the facing surface of one member, said groove having angular, converging walls, a tongue extending from the facing surface of the other member, and having converging walls of less angularity than those of the groove whereby the tongue may rock in the groove, between engagement of one of its sides with one side of the groove and engagement of its other side with the other side of the groove, the tongue and groove providing a longitudinal pivot axis between the members, a leaf spring embracing the two members, extending transversely of them and engaging them to apply compressive force across the pivot axis, said pivoting being adapted to rock the pivot axis from one side to the other of the line of compressive force, complementary recesses in the members at their .engaging surfaces, said recesses being relatively small at their portions toward the spring, and enlarged beyond said small portions to provide shoulders, a tubular collar secured to the spring and extending into the recesses, said collar being flanged at its end remote from the spring and in the enlarged part of the recesses, said flange being spaced from the shoulders when the members are pivoted toward the spring, and engageable with the shoulders when the members are oppositely pivoted to provide a limit to said latter movement, complementary ring sections on the members adapted to close when the members 'are pivoted toward the spring, and to limit such pivoting movement before the tongue and groove reach the corresponding limits of their travel, a binder back, a rivet extending through the back and the tubular collar, said rivet being secured to the back and having a head over the flanged end of the collar.

3. In a ring holder mechanism, 'a binder, a rivet extending through said binder, a tubular member around said rivet, said tubular member having shoulders at each end thereof, the lower shoulder of said tubular member abutting said binder, and the upper shoulder of said tubular member being parallel to the upper head of said rivet, a niche in saidtubular member above the lower shoulder thereof, a metallic band, said tubular member extending through said band at said niche, said band being held against vertical movement by said niche, two abutting ring holding members, said members having a pivot means between them whereby they may rock about a line lengthwise thereof, said metallic band extending around the outsides of said members and applying comprehensive force transversely of the members forcing the inner surfaces of said members toward each other to engage said pivot means, said upper shoulder of said tubular member being engageable against said members to limit pivotal movement thereof in one direction, such pivotal movement shifting the pivot line across the line of compressive force of the band, ring halves of a loose-leaf book ring being anchored in said members in such positions that the ring pieces are adapted to meet prior to the completion of the snap-action of said members.

4. In an overcenter snap-action mechanism for a ring hold, means for controlling the limits of the snap-action comprising two members having rocking contact with each other, a metallic band transversely compressing said members, a binder back, a tube extending through the joint of said members 'and through said metallic band, shoulders at both ends of said tube, one of said shoulders resting on said binder back, the other of said shoulders overlying the joint of said members, and adapted to limit the upward pivotal movement of said members, and a rivet extending through said binder back and said tube, said rivet having a head abutting the lower surface of said binder back and a head abutting the upper surface of the shoulder of said tube to hold said binder back and tube together.

JiAMES C. DAWSON, Jn. 

